| Crash location | 31.693611°N, 98.957500°W |
| Nearest city | Early, TX
31.742096°N, 98.945605°W 3.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N78690 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 08 Jun 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172K |
| Additional details: | None |
On June 8, 2003, about 0515 central daylight time, a Cessna 172K, N78690, experienced a loss of engine power and collided with terrain while making a forced landing on a dirt road in Early, Texas. Stratos Aviation, Inc., was operating the rental airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight departed Bruce Field Airport, Ballinger, Texas, at an undetermined time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The wreckage was at 31 degrees 46.61 minutes north latitude and 98 degrees 57.27 minutes west longitude.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he departed Ballinger en route to the northeast with a planned destination of Abilene Regional Airport, Abilene, Texas. He noted clouds moving toward him from a southerly direction and opted to land at Brownwood Regional Airport, Brownwood, Texas, where he had spotted the airport's rotating beacon. On final approach, about ¼ mile from the end of the runway, the engine stopped. He selected a dirt road to execute a forced landing and touched down without injury. The pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had done better fuel consumption calculations with the incorporation of weather and wind changes.
In a telephone conversation with a Safety Board investigator, a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper recalled visiting the accident site and talking with the pilot shortly after the accident occurred. The pilot reported that while flying en route from Lubbock International Airport to Possum Kingdom Airport, the wind had blown him off course. He thought the weather was becoming unfavorable and opted to land at Bruce Field Airport, where he positioned the airplane in a hangar while adverse weather conditions passed.
The pilot further told the Trooper that after the unfavorable weather conditions passed, he departed Bruce Field Airport with a planned destination of Abilene Regional Airport. While en route, the airplane became off course again, and he realized that the airplane's fuel supply was diminishing. He noticed a rotating beacon at an airfield in the distance (Brownwood Regional Airport), and decided to land at the airfield in an effort to refuel the airplane. While approaching the airport, the engine lost power .2 miles from the runway, and he attempted to land the airplane on a dirt road. The airplane's wing tip impacted trees and spun the airplane into a ditch.
The Trooper added that while he was at the accident site, he saw that both airplane wing tips were damaged, the left wing was buckled, and the engine was displaced. The airplane was placed on a trailer for the purpose of transporting it from the accident site to the airport. While on the trailer, the airplane encountered high winds and was blown off the trailer's platform.
The Abilene Regional Airport is located 46.7 nautical miles from Bruce Field Airport on a course of 019 degrees. Brownwood Regional Airport is located 52.6 nautical miles from Bruce Field Airport on a course of 082 degrees.
The student pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in a loss of engine power while on approach to land, and subsequent off-airport landing.